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Former Chelsea centre-back Frank Lebouef has issued a stinging reply to Cristiano Ronaldo's supporters. The Frenchman bragged about winning a World Cup, a feat the Portugal superstar has not managed to do in his glittering career.
The issue popped up when fans expressed dismay and outrage against ESPN's coverage of the Euro qualifiers. Following Scotland's stunning 2-0 victory over Spain, the outlet posted a tweet saying:
"Scott McTominay currently has as many Euro 2024 qualifying goals as Cristiano Ronaldo."
Fans of the attacker were unhappy with the tweet, but Frank Lebouef gave a brilliant reply to their negative comments.
He said (via GiveMeSport):
“I had two guys saying that I was a dumb *bleep*.
“That I didn’t understand anything, that Ronaldo showed us ESPN pundits that we understand nothing about football because he scored a goal and he was fantastic and that I would never be at Ronaldo’s level and I’ve never been at Ronaldo’s level.
“And I say, ‘Well, you know, you’re right. I’ve never been at his level I won the World Cup, he didn’t.’”
The series of events has certainly been a dampener in what has been a great week for the 38-year-old. He notched a brace against Liechtenstein with a free-kick and a penalty, taking his tally to 122 goals for Portugal. In the process, he also broke the record to become the most-capped international player, beating Kuwait's Bader Al-Mutawa with 198 appearances.
The striker will now return to Saudi side Al-Nassr as they chase Al-Ittihad for the title.
Manchester United star contradicts Cristiano Ronaldo's opinion
Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes has dismissed Cristiano Ronaldo's claims that new manager Roberto Martinez has brought a breath of fresh air into the team.
When asked about Martinez's impact in the dressing room, the Al-Nassr striker said:
"It’s a new chapter for everyone, for the players, the staff and the country. We feel good energy. It’s a breath of fresh air."
Fernandes, however, had the opposite view. Speaking to Portuguese channel RTP3, he said:
"No, it's just a new coach with new ideas. There is no breath of fresh air at all. It's just a transition period. The atmosphere in the national team has always been good.
"There's never been anything that wasn't fresh of the air, so I think it's just new dynamics, new coach, and you have to assimilate his ideas."
The pair are known to have a frosty relationship, and this incident adds fuel to that fire.
Portugal have begun their Euro 2024 qualification campaign well under the Belgian, notching victories against Luxembourg and Liechtenstein to sit at the top of Group J.
